Archives for December 2009

Have you ever given a quote to a client and been asked whether you could give them a further reduction in the price? If you are really interested in the project or you have the potential to pick up steady work, it may be tempting to considering lowering the price.

Before you decide whether to do so, take a minute to consider what the client has actually said. He or she hasn’t indicated that the price you have quoted is too high….yet. All they have asked is whether the price you have quoted is a firm one.

If you feel that you have quoted a fair price for the job, tell the client that. Point out to the client what factors you considered when arriving at the number you gave them. If you made your quote based on an estimate of the time the job will take times your hourly rate, tell them that. Some writers quote based on the type of job, the topic, how much time they will need to spend researching, etc. You can also take this opportunity to share with the client that your rates are set based on your level of experience and the quality of work that you provide.

What you want to do in this case is have the client appreciate the value that you bring to the table. They are not simply paying for your time, but also for your expertise and how you can benefit them in reaching their business goals.

Then Stop Talking.

I mean it. Zip it. Not one more word about your rate.

You have given the client the information they need to make a decision about whether to hire you and how much it will cost them. Talking too much at this point might get you the gig, but you may not get the rate you want.

At this point, the ball is in the client’s court. They may come back and agree to the rate you have named, or they may get back to you with a price objection. At that point, you can deal with their objection by finding out exactly what the client’s concern is and addressing it.

The client may also choose to walk away. Not everyone you prepare a quote for is going to end up hiring you, unfortunately. Rather than assume you have lost the gig by quoting what you feel is a fair price, stick to your guns. Let the client come back to you with a specific objection if they have one. Otherwise, they have just asked a question.

How would you answer if a prospective client asked, “Is that the best you can do?”

Wireless Generation is an educational technology, content and consulting company. I work with the consulting group and am currently managing a project that has a large grant writing component. I am looking for a talented grant writer who can dedicate full time (or nearly full time) to the project for the next three weeks. The ideal candidate will be able to spend 3-4 days per week at the client site in central New Jersey and has some background in education policy and/or grant writing.

Please contact me ASAP as we would like the grant writer to start early next week (12/28 or 12/29).

*This was supposed to post yesterday! I’m not sure what happened, but enjoy anyway!

Hustling is a part of the job description for freelance writers. We move at a quick pace writing emails, responding to editors, microblogging on Twitter, updating Facebook, interviewing sources and writing articles, etc.. which is why you are checking FWJ the day after Christmas! Even while we aren’t in front of the computer, we are still coming up with ideas and brainstorming.

Here’s a quick brainstorming trick to play around with as you go in for your second or third round of turkey or ham!

Listing

I’m a list lover. My lists help me stay organized in every area of my life and brainstorming lists for writing is no different. It can help you organize an article or give you several ideas/angles on a particular article topics.

To brainstorm list-style, start with the general subject, a keyword or phrase and then list words whatever words come to mind. Here’s an example:

Subject: Query writing

how to write

letter form

linking to other writers

clips

finding an editor

following up

introduction

sources

proofreading

audience

experience

action words

contact information

The list can go on and on, but the point is to give yourself plenty of options using this technique. Give it a shot and see how you like it!

Letters and Arts is looking for writers who have experience in the
restaurant industry to write for our rapidly growing three-year-old
website, www.MustHaveMenus.com. Our restaurant management guide,
(http://www.musthavemenus.com/menu/guide.do), will be growing by leaps
and bounds in the next couple of months. We’re looking for articles
that can cover marketing and promotional topics that a restaurant
owner or manager would be interested in – from creating a website for
a cocktail bar to effective ways to market a Mexican restaurant.
Knowledge of the challenges faced by restaurant owners and managers,
as well as common ways to promote restaurants online, is required

We pay $30 per 500 word article to start, with the opportunity for a
higher rate after a positive working relationship has been
established. If you are interested, please paste your resume in an
email (no attachments please!), include links to a couple relevant
writing samples and at two ideas for a restaurant-industry based
article or blog posting that has to do with online promotion.

Silver Monthly is looking for a writer with experience writing book reviews. This project has a writer’s budget of $1,500 (total payout). Silver Monthly will also buy all books and ship them to the writer.

Silver Monthly would like to have detailed book reviews (~1000 words) of all relevant books on silver and gold investing. There are around 20-30 relevant books. A list will be sent once a writer is chosen.

Writers with experience in business/finance/investing are preferred. But, writers with any experience writing book reviews qualify and will be considered.

Payment – all payments are sent via Paypal
An initial deposit of $300 will be sent once the writer is chosen
A ‘halfway’ payment of $500 will be sent once half of the reviews are accepted
A final payment of $700 will be sent once the last half of the reviews are accepted

ApplyingPlease include why you, as a writer, would even want to review books on gold and silver investing. In addition, please include links or attachments of Microsoft Word documents of past work. Only 2 to 3 reviews or articles are needed to assess writing quality. Email careers@silvermonthly.com to apply.

Please include your quote in per article terms. For example, if you’re willing to write reviews for $50 per review; or $75 per review.

Misc. Information
After the completion of the project, Silver Monthly would like to use all books as gifts/prizes for Silver Monthly readers. We will send you the postage fee to return the books once the project is completed.

About Silver MonthlySilver Monthly is a small digital publication focused on publishing information on silver investing (http://www.silvermonthly.com)

. Silver Monthly attracts around 7,000+ readers per month. Both David Morgan and Jason Hommel–experts within the field–are monthly columnist for Silver Monthly.

Highly confidential and private individual needs a writer for biography work spanning over 3 different aspects of their life; subjects include personal, business and political. This may be an ongoing project and details will be discussed further. Please send an email to the above address with your resume, expected compensation, and brief sample of your work.

My son and his best friend, both 7, disappear in our unfinished basement for hours. There they have built an elaborate web of mazes made from packing boxes, beer coolers and large plastic containers. This hideout sits upon a wooden platform used to keep boxes dry when we were experiencing problems with flooding.

This hideout is called “The Triffin.” No, I don’t know how they happened upon the name, but they liked the sound of it and it stuck. Now both families refer to “The Triffin” as if it’s a common, everyday word.

This isn’t your basic chairs and sheets club house. Two boys spend every weekend since the summer to add and tweak. They let their creativity and imagination run wild. The Triffin has several floors and compartments and each weekend yields a new surprise.

There are flashlights, blankets and games inside the Triffin. There is a mailbox and an old discarded comfy chair. There’s even a small ladder leading to another “floor.” The Triffin probably wouldn’t pass a building inspection but it’s been parent-approved for safety.

Every now and then the boys will completely dismantle The Triffin and rebuild with a new design. They’ll spend days with a notebook planning rooms and making adjustments.

The Triffin is my inspiration. It takes me back to my childhood when there were no video games or cable television. It reminds me of building hideouts in my own basement and writing stories under a blanket using a flashlight for light. It’s a good reminder to let our imaginations get the best of us once in a while. Sometimes we need to not be such sticklers and see where our creativity takes us.

Have you ever visited a company’s web site and been left in the dark about what it actually does after reading through the copy? If your reaction after checking out the “About Us” page is to say “Huh?” to yourself, it’s definitely not a good sign.

Some people resort to using buzz words that sound impressive but which don’t really mean anything. For example, the expression “taking [something] to the next level” sounds impressive, but unless you know what the current level is, how do you know what the next one should be?

When you are applying for a freelance writing gig or sending a pitch to a potential client, resist the urge to try impress the person reading your materials with your mastery of the written word. You want the potential client to get to know something about you, your qualifications and the approach you take to your work. If you get the gig, you can discuss the specific style the client would like you to use for his or her assignment.

We all want to make a good first impression by presenting ourselves well and showing our best samples to people who may be in a position to hire us. Take a few minutes to read through your materials before you submit them. If you have trouble understanding what you are trying to say, a potential client will too – and you want to make it easy for them to decide that you would be a great fit for the project.

We may be wizards of words, but don’t let them get in the way of communicating effectively with potential clients. Keeping it simple is a better way to go.